The Moon Will Come with the Night Again
by Selyann
Summary: Unable to fall asleep after the fight at the Edo Castle, Gintoki decides to go to play pachinko. In an unexpected turn of events, however, his walk ends with him arriving at an entirely different place and finding a certain someone in as much need of emotional comfort as he is. Takasugi/Gintoki, slash, non-explicit. Sequel to "On a Moonlit Night Insects are Drawn to the Light Too".


**Author Note:** Lo and behold. The forever unpopular author wrote the sequel to _On a Moonlit Night Insects are Drawn to the Light Too_.

Most people probably don't care. I don't know if it's because I'm into pairings that others don't like - and if they do, they prefer them 'the other way round' (e.g. Gintoki topping Takasugi and not Takasugi topping Gintoki) - or perhaps because my writing is just so atrocious. Well, I certainly do hope it's _not_ the latter.  
The story once again takes place during the Ikkoku Keisei arc, namely after chapter 398/in the middle of episode 261. I highly recommend reading the prequel to this, but it's not absolutely necessary.

This story will have a format familiar to those who have read the previous story. :) Which means: two chapters + epilogue. At least that's the plan.

I hope you'll enjoy the read!

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**The Moon Will Come with the Night Again**

Chapter One

* * *

As Gintoki lay on a futon in the Japanese room and gazed at the ceiling blankly, his head was swarming with numerous questions.

For instance, why on earth Kagura's leg was on his face. Or why Shinpachi was adding to his suffering by lying on his legs.

Questions of this kind.

To add insult to injury, it seemed to Gintoki like was the only person unable to get any sleep, yet he was trapped. Not that he would be able to move with great ease if they had not been resting with their limbs all over his body, since he was seriously injured, but he felt the need to spend some time alone.

He was not ungrateful. He was well aware of the fact that they cared about him deeply and although more often than not he did not let it show, he appreciated it greatly. Even if Kagura's attempts at reading manga from the newest issue of Weekly Shounen Jump out loud for him had been rather clumsy, and even if Shinpachi acted like a nagging mother, he could not imagine his current life without them. If he ever lost them, something would be missing. Just like the time when –

Ahh, not good, he was getting there again.

Gintoki did not want to dwell on the unpleasant memories that had once again awoken during the fight at the Edo Castle. He wished to do something that required little mental effort. Going to a pachinko parlour sounded like a good plan, and his favourite one should still be open at this hour, even though it was night already. The problem was getting out without those two noticing …

Or maybe it would be easier than he thought. Kagura was a heavy sleeper, after all. He could not be sure about Shinpachi, because the boy always slept at his dojo, but perhaps it could be done. Yes, it could be done, most definitely. He would just have to try.

He decided that dealing with Kagura should come before dealing with Shinpachi, so he raised his arm slowly and proceeded to move her leg off his head as delicately as he could. He heaved a sigh of relief when he encountered no problems whatsoever and managed to sit up. Turning to look at the girl to ensure she was still sleeping soundly, he noticed her stir. Just in case, he froze and waited for a moment, his eyes fixed on her petite figure.

'Gin … chan …' she mumbled. 'Su … konbu …'

'It's all right, it's here, Kagura,' Gintoki assured her quietly, unsure whether she was talking in her sleep or if she had wakened. Upon seeing her smile lightly, he relaxed and turned to the second task.

With utmost care he attempted to free his left leg from under Shinpachi's weight. It took some effort, but he succeeded in doing just that without waking the boy. For once luck was on his side, because soon after that Shinpachi rolled over to his side and saved him the trouble of trying to free his right leg as well.

Gintoki stood up slowly. His muscles were still aching and he was feeling discomfort, but he had suffered graver injuries in the past. And now? Now they had been tended already. Not to mention, medicine had advanced tremendously since back then. In some respects, the influence of Amanto was not that bad at all. In some ...

He rolled his shoulders, hissing lightly as he did so, and grabbed a new change of clothes. When the black shirt was on and zipped up, he threw on his yukata and tied it with the obi and the thin black belt.

'Sheesh, good thing people rarely ever ask how anime characters can get identical clothes in such a short time,' muttered Gintoki. 'Why would you even ask that? It's not real life, for goodness' sake ...'

He moved across the room awkwardly, cursing under his breath. His left leg was still refusing to fully cooperate after the fight with Oboro, but much of the numbness had gone away thanks to Isaburou Sasaki's revitalising acupuncture and the antidote he had administered to Gintoki. As such, he could walk – it did, however, require some effort on his part. He had moved much more freely and quickly during the fight due to the rush of adrenaline, but now that he had calmed down the discomfort had made itself known again.

Gintoki almost tripped over their rice cooker and Sadaharu's giant food bowl, but he somehow managed to reach the door and heaved a sigh of relief. His crutch was propped up against the nearest sofa just like it should be. Only a few steps separated him from his aid to walking ...

He staggered to the piece of furniture and took hold of the crutch. When he supported his weight on it, walking immediately became less of a challenge. It did, however, make a noisy sound as it met the wooden floor. Mindful of being quiet, he decided that he would use it only after going outside and put it under his for the time being. He took a few steps towards his desk and produced his wallet and a slip of paper from a drawer. He scribbled something down on the paper and left it on the low table in the centre of the room.

He plodded barefoot all the way to the genkan, where he slipped his black boots onto his feet, and with that he was finally ready to leave. Gintoki slid the front door shut behind him as soundlessly as possible, not wanting to wake Kagura, Shinpachi or Sadaharu.

A cool breeze greeted him outside; it felt pleasantly refreshing against his skin. He had had too much excitement in the past days and only now was he slowly beginning to feel like he could breathe again.

He looked up at the starry sky before scratching his neck and shaking his head. 'Now then ... Pachinko it is ...' he muttered as he started descending the stairs.

* * *

It took Gintoki a while to get out of Kabukichou and arrive in a different part of Edo. However, he was not particularly bothered by the fact, because the walk, even in his current state, was having a beneficial effect on him. Still rather emotionally drained after the encounter with Oboro, he required time to convalesce. It had been a long while since he had been this outraged. Sadasada and Oboro had truly managed to bring out that part of him that usually lay dormant– the part of him that had caused others to coin the nickname 'the White Yaksha'.

He had really wished to kill Sadasada there and probably would have done so but for the unforeseen interference.

However, thinking about it would change nothing. He could not alter his past and he would not necessarily want to change it. After all, he had done everything in his might to protect what Shouyou-sensei had entrusted to him.

He had strived to protect that promise ...

Gintoki sighed with irritation. Had he not gone out to escape all the troubling thoughts? He really had to get to the pachinko parlour as fast as possible lest his train of thought led him to the same topic again.

As he was walking down the street, someone bumped into him violently out of the blue, and the impact made him stumble. Although he managed to regain his balance and prevent himself from falling, the action had irked him nonetheless and he growled, 'Oi, bastard, get your arse –!'

'Huuh? You wanna die –?'

Both people broke off in the middle of a sentence as soon as they saw each other. 'It's you again?' They narrowed their eyes and tensed up. Gintoki was not at all pleased at the sight of the bane of his life, and the other man's face expressed similar feelings.

'Stop getting in the way of my work, you idiot!' hissed Hijikata, grinding his teeth.

'Heh, don't flatter yourself,' retorted Gintoki with a dismissive wave of his hand. 'If you think I've got nothing better to do than being near you, you're sorely mistaken.' Then he muttered, 'Stupid mayo freak.'

'One wrong move and you're back to the cell you've just left, _White Yaksha_, together with your old pal Katsura.' Hijikata grinned wide with a demonic gleam in his eyes and pulled on the front of Gintoki's white yukata. 'Just give me a reason.'

Gintoki scoffed, looking unperturbed, and pushed his little finger into his ear. 'You've got nothing on me, Hijikata-kun. Now get your hands off me before I sue you for sexual harassment.'

'Oh! Odd Jobs!' another voice exclaimed jovially as its owner neared the pair.

Hijikata sighed. 'Kondou-san, what took you –?'

'Ah, gorilla,' said Gintoki flatly, admiring the ear wax on his fingertip. 'Why aren't you stalking the gorilla woman? Don't tell me you're actually doing your job for once.'

'Oi, bastard! Apologise to the gorilla for calling him a gorilla!'

And here Gintoki had thought he had had a year's worth of contact with the Shinsengumi and the Mimawarigumi thanks to the happenings at the Edo Castle. But, naturally, he just _had_ to run into the pair when trying to unwind.

'Calm down, Toshi!' cried Kondou, attempting to pull Hijikata away from Gintoki. 'And you've just called me a gorilla yourself, haven't you!'

'Ah, my bad,' said Hijikata, straightening up and producing a packet of cigarettes from his pocket.

'Che,' Gintoki spat. 'This night just had to get worse.'

This time Hijikata ignored his comment and instead lit a cigarette and absorbed some smoke into his mouth. He inhaled it into his lungs and then blew it out, his face looking somewhat more relaxed as he did so. Gintoki was about to make a remark on the disgusting stench of mayonnaise and cigarettes combined when suddenly Hijikata gave his superior a focused look and said insistently: 'Kondou-san, we've got to get moving.'

'Ah, you're right, Toshi,' said Kondou, perking up at the reminder. 'Sorry, Odd Jobs, we're in a hurry. Take care!'

And they left, Hijikata still smoking his cigarette and Kondou rushing after his subordinate while shouting for him to wait.

With slight confusion, Gintoki stared at the disappearing backs of the pair.

What's the rush anyway? That Oboro is dead and the old shogun is waiting for his trial, right? he thought, resuming his night walk. Ah well, at least the pachinko parlour should already be close.

As he walked down Edo's streets, a great number of people passed him. The majority were strangers and took no heed of him; however, an odd passer-by here and there acknowledged his presence by calling out to him before walking their own way. All in all, it was rather uneventful, but Gintoki did not mind.

Then, just as he was nearing a familiar-looking karaoke bar, someone brushed past him; but it was not just a regular _someone_. He was under the impression that he knew who the person was all too well.

Gintoki broke step and turned round to confirm his suspicions, but the figure could no longer be seen on the horizon, blocked from view by the many pedestrians walking Edo's streets.

He stood there for a moment, his mind filled with conflicting thoughts.

And before he could decide against it, his body made the decision for him and followed the person, going back in the direction he had just come from.

* * *

In the end, Gintoki found himself standing by a quay. From his hiding spot he could see an inconspicuous traditional wooden boat moored nearby. There was a cabin protruding from its deck, reminiscent of a small house with a slanted roof; however, the boat's size itself was rather unimpressive, and most definitely not enough to provide shelter for many. _He_ must have come alone or with very few people to accompany him.

Gintoki narrowed his eyes lightly to see more clearly and found no one in the boat's proximity – no one likely to prevent him from sneaking onto the deck. He would have to risk it and try to get on board despite not being sure if _he_ really was alone.

It was then that he began wondering why he should even do that. After all, there was probably no point. And there was pachinko ...

'Ahh, damn it,' he cursed under his breath. 'Thinking isn't doing me any good.'

And, having said that, he abandoned the questionable safety of an alleyway and plodded across the quay. Amidst almost perfect silence, the crutch sounded unbelievably noisy as it clicked against concrete. The sound would doubtless alert any lookout, even a poorly-skilled one, and yet no person approached him to stop him from doing what he intended.

Even as he stepped onto the gangplank, no one barred his path.

Even as he moved across the deck in the least sneaky way possible, making the wood creak loudly under his weight, no one launched an attack on him.

Gintoki's brow furrowed lightly. The situation was far too suspicious. Getting all the way to the deck had been suspiciously easy. Perhaps that was precisely why he was feeling somewhat anxious.

Well, there's no going back now anyway, he thought.

His facial muscles relaxed as he discarded his previous worries and reached for the cabin's sliding door. His visage displayed solely tiredness now, his eyes as reminiscent of those of a dead fish as ever. Opening the door, he briefly wondered if he should have told Katsura, even though he knew it would have been virtually pointless. If he had done that, he would have wasted a lot of precious time, after all, and _he_ would have been gone by the time they got here.

The door hit its frame with a click and Gintoki scratched his neck.

'Yo,' he said wearily, his gaze fixed on the lone occupant of the cabin. 'Takasugi.'

'Gintoki.'

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End of Chapter One

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I'll love you if you review, you know ... It gives me motivation to continue.


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